'In a country that loves country music, there was nobody like her' - Irish musicians mourn Dolly parting

Dolly Parton's death has been felt across the world since it was announced on Tuesday evening, from her native Tennesse to the village of Ventry in County Kerry, where in 1990 she stopped in for a song and a drink in a rural pub.

A booming country music scene across the island of Ireland has kept the Queen of Country as relevant today as ever, and many local talents have paid tribute to their late idol.

Irish country music artist Claudia Buckley said she was "heartbroken" to hear of Parton's death, describing the US singer-songwriter as her biggest inspiration.

Londonderry-born singer Máiréad Carlin paid her respects too, and said Parton was someone who was "beautiful inside and out".

Carlin, who performs with the all-female Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman, once met her hero, adding: "There was no singer like Dolly".

"She paved the way for all of us to be individuals and fly our own flag in the way we want to," Carlin told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today on Wednesday.

"It was absolutely amazing meeting her, and she was everything that you could imagine her to be and more. She really was just beautiful inside and out.

"She was so tiny in person, even with her heels on. I mean, I'm 5'4" and she was about half my height."

The meeting took place alongside fewer than 10 people ahead of the premiere of 9 to 5 The Musical.

Carlin said: "She pulled us aside and told us to be true to ourselves as artists and not fold to what people expect you to be. She spoke about not putting yourself in a box.

"It was a really special moment because, for those things, when you meet people, it could've been a quick photo and move on, but she really took her time to talk to four women in the music industry."

Irish country music artist Claudia Buckley described the US singer-songwriter as her biggest inspiration.

Buckley said Parton was "a true icon" and that her music had shaped her life and career.

"The world feels a little less bright this morning. She truly was an icon and was one of the best songwriters of our generation.

"She meant so much to so many people, not just as a songwriter and a singer, but as a philanthropist and everything."

Buckley praised the Imagination Library - Parton's literacy charity - and also Parton's work during the pandemic, saying "she donated millions towards Covid-19 research".

"She has done so much for the whole world, and when an icon like Dolly dies, it is hard because you sort of feel like she would never die."

Like many fans around the world, for Buckley the death of Parton has evoked some musical memories.

"First and foremost, I am a fan. I grew up listening to Dolly, and the first song I ever learned to sing was Coat of Many Colours.

"The world will never be the same, music will never be the same, but her legacy will live on."

Parton's genre-crossing appeal saw her inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But many will remember her best for her philanthropy, which provided hundreds of millions of children with years-worth of free books.

In 1995 she established a children's literacy programme, inspired by her father Robert Lee Parton's inability to read or write.

It began as a local initiative in her home state, handing out a book-per-month to children up until the age of five, before growing into a charitable mission with an international mission.

In 2019, the Republic of Ireland became the fifth country to be helped by the charity.

The scheme was launched in Tallaght, Dublin, then in Northern Ireland in 2025 when 75 babies registered at Belfast City Hall were signed up for five years of free books.

In 1990, the patrons of a pub run by Kerry GAA legend Páidí Ó Sé, got the shock of their lives when Dolly Parton, who was holidaying in the area, gave them an intimate, impromptu rendition of one of her her biggest hits, Coat of Many Colours.

She was accompanied by Irish traditional musicians Steve Cooney and Kerry man, Séamus Beagley.

That same night, she was given a Kerry jersey by Ó Sé - a Parton gift, of sorts.

"I have that jersey in a frame, hanging in my basement, which is my recreation room," she told RTÉ Radio 1 in 2023.